During a cabinet meeting at the White House on Monday, President Trump reiterated that there is no reason for U.S. troops to remain in northern Syria.
"We never agreed to protect Kurds for the rest of their lives," he said.
Trump reminded the press that the U.S. military supported the Kurds for nearly four years, and it's time to let them handle the region on their own. There's still a small U.S. presence "to protect the oil," but other than that, he said, "there is no reason to stay there."
Critics worry that leaving a void in the Middle East will let Russia take control. Trump, however, said, he "got elected on bringing our troops back home." He mused that Washington, D.C. may not like his action, but it's a "popular decision outside the beltway." For instance, he noted how at his recent Dallas rally, his two largest cheers were his mention of building the wall, and bringing our soldiers back home.
Earlier, @realDonaldTrump defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, saying it's what the American people want. Speaking about his Dallas rally last week, he said, "When I said we're bringing our soldiers back home, the place went crazy."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 21, 2019
Fact check: True ???? pic.twitter.com/wW96mbhBbO
"There are times to fight...and there are times to be smart," he added.
Trump shifted to impeachment. Seven more witnesses are expected to testify on Capitol Hill this week related to Trump's supposedly controversial conversation with Ukrainian President Zelensky. A whistleblower complaint alleged that the president was guilty of quid pro quo when he asked Zelensky to investigate his political opponent Joe Biden, and Democrats used it to launch their impeachment inquiry.
The whistleblower, Trump argued, "gave a false account" of his phone call. There's allegedly a "second" whistleblower, with just as dubious an account. Yet, the media and the Democrats treat whistleblowers "like angels."
"They have a whistleblower, who disappeared," Trump observed. "They're interviewing ambassadors I've never even heard of."
Republicans plan to vote on a measure to censure House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff on Monday for embellishing parts of Trump's call with Zelensky. Trump called Schiff "a crooked politician."
The president guessed that the Democrats were obsessed with impeachment because they're worried about 2020. And he was pretty confident that he's "going to win the election."
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